It was only Saturday afternoon when I started writing this blog is so much to do in this city. I felt like I had already done so much now it is Saturday evening and it has been a full day. Ottawa is interesting it goes from no events until May and then so many things all at once. The last two weekends I have had no plans but all the little events kept me busy. Today’s post is only about bigger events I saw on Saturday but there were also lots of small things and other big events all over.
This weekend I knew doors open Ottawa was happening and I asked my coworkers which buildings to go to. Most of the people that I asked who are from Ottawa or Quebec didn’t know what it was. I asked a few more people and got some suggestions but I didn’t have time to research where to go. I have only been in Ottawa for a year and think it’s great that there are so many interesting buildings here. Now it is Sunday afternoon and I only made it to one building so I also understand when you live somewhere you don’t do the same things you do on vacation. I also don’t have a car and transit isn’t good here. I didn’t want to waste my time commuting and then not going to see a building because I wasn’t registered or just didn’t feel like going in. Traffic has also gotten significantly worse in the last month compared to the year I have been here. There is a shuttle bus for open doors ottawa but I have no sense of direction and couldn’t figure out how to plan the day or where to find the bus stop. If I can I prefer to stay in places I can walk to and luckily I live in a great walkable area which is rare for Ottawa. I noticed there were buildings within walking distance that were part of open doors and thought I will go see if I can find a couple then decide if it’s worth going to others tomorrow.
I was out of groceries so I decided to go to parkdale market to get some breakfast and a coffee. The market season had just started and the vendor I wanted wasn’t there today. I did end up buying a sourdough baguette from Nat’s bread company which fit nicely in my bag then I got a coffee from morning owl across the street. Yesterday was 34 degrees and today was 20 so nice to walk with my coffee in hand although it was windy enough to blow my hat off a few times. I had already bought vegetables from the market on my way home after work yesterday. I decided to go to the shops in the area and find something for breakfast.
On the way I walked past people having a BBQ I asked what they were doing it was an open house for new apartments. I had seen them online previously this building has interesting amenities and thought about going to the open house but I have to be in the mood to do those kinds of things. They showed me around two apartments. When I first moved to Ottawa I was looking to buy but ultimately ended up renting in a building I love. I was referred and this is the only rental building I even looked at so it is nice to see units and amenities in other rental buildings. It made me appreciate where I am even more and my rent is $400 less a month than the new building.
Back to finding breakfast if you are wondering why I didn’t eat the bbq at the open house I eat vegan. I have wanted to get the vegan soft serve from Littlejoberry’s a vegan business in the area since they posted about it a couple weeks ago. It was my first vegan soft serve and a good breakfast.
Considering I just at ice cream and coffee for breakfast and had been walking I was getting hungry for something more nutritious. I decided to go home and have lunch before going to see an open doors building. I had also seen the sign for the west end studio tour on my walk and thought maybe I would also go those buildings. It didn’t happen maybe next year.
I went home and made a salad with items from the market with vegan tuna (soy protein) and vegan cheese. There were a few specific items I needed to get from whole foods. It is a little difficult to get to but there are a lot of things in the square it is in. I go once a month and get everything I need. I decided to go see an open doors building close by and then go to whole foods.
The building I went to was an old fire station it is now going to be a better business bureau coworking space. I ended up talking to the hosts there for quite a long time. They were also federal public servants in different departments so we were just generally chatting. The space is very nice and it will be a good coworking space in the neighborhood.
I headed upstairs and they had left a piece of the fire station. When I first looked at it I thought it was construction. The staff told an interesting story about it if they hadn’t I would have missed this feature. They Also had a fire hose and BBQ outside. This time I got a free pop. I think Ottawa likes having free BBQ’s I was thinking I should look up if there are any vegan ones. I didn’t look it up but came across social media that there is going to be one next week.
I spent a lot longer than I was expecting to in this building now it was time to go to whole foods. When I arrived it looked there was a market happening. I know the market is usually on Sundays so I went to take a look. It was some sort of yoga convention. There were people doing yoga in the park and inside. The market seemed to be related to the event. I never figured out exactly what it was but it looked interesting.
After that I went to winners and then whole foods. I also knew that Yugirolls was going to be doing a pop up with Littlejoberry’s in the evening from 7-9. It is essentially vegan takeout food with a special menu. They have a few outdoor seats now. I try to go to all the vegan food events when they are within walking distance. This is something I didn’t have easy access to in Vancouver and appreciate them. I wasn’t sure if I would go this time after the full day. I did end up going around 8:30 and it was perfect to miss the rush. The timing is late for Ottawa I am always amused that night markets finish by 9pm here.
I talked to Van from Yugirolls for a little while about the new location then I ate the meal on the patio.
I ended the night by taking a vegan twinkie home from Littlejoberry’s. It is now 8pm Sunday night so it is time to end this blog. Thank you for reading follow me on Instagram and YouTube @livingottawalocal
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